Summer Transfers 2025 Missed Opportunities and Regrets

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

Haaland! Gyokeres is the exact opposite! He gets all around the pitch and makes shit happen for himself, he doesn't just stand there like a lump waiting for ball to feet. Haaland could well be the laziest player we've ever seen in this league. Gyokeres would be one of the hardest grafting.

What is it with you? You insist on crazy stuff like Partey being able to play 8, and then you stick with it come hell or high water. Sure, Haaland's an epic finisher, no arguments there, but he'd be an absolute luxury we simply couldn't afford to carry, not the way we play. And especially as we are already carrying the likes of Odegard. We need somebody who can go the extra mile to compensate for the shit going on in our team that Arteta apparently doesn't want to fix.

---

First of all I was comparing Sesko to Haaland, not Gyokeres

Also you need to get over this Partey thing. If you bothered to read you’d see that my preference was for Partey to play at 8 over Rice not that I think he’d be especially good there. I just think Rice is utterly unsuited to playing at 8 when you’ve got teams that will drop deep and sit behind the ball (which is about 90% of the teams we play).

Haaland is physically strong, quick and good on the ball as well as being a good finisher

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

First of all I was comparing Sesko to Haaland, not Gyokeres

Also you need to get over this Partey thing. If you bothered to read you’d see that my preference was for Partey to play at 8 over Rice not that I think he’d be especially good there. I just think Rice is utterly unsuited to playing at 8 when you’ve got teams that will drop deep and sit behind the ball (which is about 90% of the teams we play).

Haaland is physically strong, quick and good on the ball as well as being a good finisher

---

Alright, well I'll shut up then.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

It'll be a big mistake if we get rid of Martinelli - one of the few players who always puts a shift in, even when the rest of them are asleep. Arteta has ruined him, true enough. But there's still a very good player in there if only Mr Control Freak would give him a bit more license to play.

Trossard could go though, if we're seriously going to spend some money in the window. He's not going to get any better and he's too inconsistent.

Deffo won't be getting two big names in though - not with stadium expansion plans doing the rounds.

---

I actually agree with you on this

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

I actually agree with you on this

---

Why does he let Trossard roam all over the pitch but Martinelli is strictly limited to the corner flag? Another bizarre directive from He whose hair shall not be named.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Get them both.

Then offer up the likes of Martinelli and Trossard to Saudi.

---

100% with you on this.

Get rid of both of them if that means bringing in 2 quality strikers.

Though some won't agree, I'm a bit confident that Martinelli and Trossard (to an extent) have reached their ceiling at this club, especially if they are forced to continually play under a micro manager like Arteta.

IMO they'd both benefit with a change of scenery.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

100% with you on this.

Get rid of both of them if that means bringing in 2 quality strikers.

Though some won't agree, I'm a bit confident that Martinelli and Trossard (to an extent) have reached their ceiling at this club, especially if they are forced to continually play under a micro manager like Arteta.

IMO they'd both benefit with a change of scenery.

---

I'm hoping the slow trend back towards real football continues next season and Arteta will be forced to get aboard or become irrelevant. Both players would benefit greatly if this happened, Martinelli more so.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

Sounds like it's Sesko over Gyokeres! Arteta has won - he'll get his tippety-tap "striker" who will fit right in with the soul-crushing football he favours. I'm hoping these are just more rumours from wannabe ITKs, but it makes perfect sense. This will be our worst transfer window of the lot, if true. Not saying Sesko is a bad player, he looks fairly run-of-the-mill like all the "top" wonder players you typically get these days. But we had a chance to get a real player and now, if true, noyt only do we end up with the booby prize but I'm betting somebody else will swoop in and grab the real article - so double fucked. Don't see the point in bringing new staff in if they can't use their expertise and Arteta gets to work hi Wenger complex anyway.

---

I keep reading that too - I hope to fuck it's all a big lie. Smoke and mirrors.

But it would be so typical of this club, when it seems like the easiest and most obvious thing is right there, staring us in the face, we will go and do the opposite and then make excuses as to why it didn't work out.

Get Gyokores and you have a ready made striker who will score goals.
Get Sesko and you will be waiting 3 years for him to (reach his higher ceiling or some bullshit) and he might score some goals along the way. As long as he can set up and lay off other players it's 'OK'

I still don't understand the obsession with some of these Arteta fans that want a striker that doesn't score goals but is a playmaker - it's fucking weird and sadistic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

I keep reading that too - I hope to fuck it's all a big lie. Smoke and mirrors.

But it would be so typical of this club, when it seems like the easiest and most obvious thing is right there, staring us in the face, we will go and do the opposite and then make excuses as to why it didn't work out.

Get Gyokores and you have a ready made striker who will score goals.
Get Sesko and you will be waiting 3 years for him to (reach his higher ceiling or some bullshit) and he might score some goals along the way. As long as he can set up and lay off other players it's 'OK'

I still don't understand the obsession with some of these Arteta fans that want a striker that doesn't score goals but is a playmaker - it's fucking weird and sadistic.

---

:haha: ......he'll have to get behind the line, Havertz fills that role already.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

I keep reading that too - I hope to fuck it's all a big lie. Smoke and mirrors.

But it would be so typical of this club, when it seems like the easiest and most obvious thing is right there, staring us in the face, we will go and do the opposite and then make excuses as to why it didn't work out.

Get Gyokores and you have a ready made striker who will score goals.
Get Sesko and you will be waiting 3 years for him to (reach his higher ceiling or some bullshit) and he might score some goals along the way. As long as he can set up and lay off other players it's 'OK'

I still don't understand the obsession with some of these Arteta fans that want a striker that doesn't score goals but is a playmaker - it's fucking weird and sadistic.

---

I’ve rather patiently explained my position of Gyokeres, you don’t have to agree with me or accept it. But if you can’t understand it, that’s on you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

I’ve rather patiently explained my position of Gyokeres, you don’t have to agree with me or accept it. But if you can’t understand it, that’s on you.

---

Rather vain, I wasn't addressing you :shrug:

Ah yes, my mistake… read Arteta fans and saw Arsenal fans

Don’t think anyone in their right mind on here would accuse me of being an Arteta fan :lol:

But the point remains the same, I’d rather pay money for potential than high risk for a player who could be the next Nicolas Pepe. Whilst I want us to win the title next season, the imperative for it is to save Arteta’s job (and I don’t give a fuck about that…be glad to see the passive agressive shit booted onto the kerb)

Anyway my ideal summer transfers would look like this


Out: Jorginho, Tierney, Jesus, Trossard, Merino, Vieira, Lokonga, Tavares


In : Zubimendi, Rogers, Mbeumo, Sesko, Adeyemi


When Dowman comes of age I’d make that a 23 man squad

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Anyway my ideal summer transfers would look like this


Out: Jorginho, Tierney, Jesus, Trossard, Merino, Vieira, Lokonga, Tavares


In : Zubimendi, Rogers, Mbeumo, Sesko, Adeyemi


When Dowman comes of age I’d make that a 23 man squad

---

Yep!
Agree with all of the above except for Merino.

I have also been looking at Dowman, he looks like a good player (you must have seen his performance with Enland under 17's this week)?
Let's hope he is nurtured in the right way.

Merino has zero value as a midfielder and I don’t see the need to keep him as a backup striker

Offer him back to Sociedad to keep the price down for Zubimendi

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football...s/c071mlpjxxko

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Ah yes, my mistake… read Arteta fans and saw Arsenal fans

Don’t think anyone in their right mind on here would accuse me of being an Arteta fan :lol:

But the point remains the same, I’d rather pay money for potential than high risk for a player who could be the next Nicolas Pepe. Whilst I want us to win the title next season, the imperative for it is to save Arteta’s job (and I don’t give a fuck about that…be glad to see the passive agressive shit booted onto the kerb)

---

Exactly ;)

Liam Delap likely to go to Chelsea

This is a shame, I think he could have been an excellent squad player for us.

Liam Delaps career :rose:

I’ve no sympathy for anyone who chooses to play for Man City or Chelsea

Seems Chelsea will be trying to buy everyone hopefully will spend themselves into bankruptcy.

Rumor is that we might try and resign Martinez yey or neh?

It appears that Sesko is our guy. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that we’ve opened talks with Leipzig.

Good, shame that we probably won’t try and bring in a second striker. But I think Sesko is the right choice

Fuck Romano.

I think Gyokeres would be better for the here and now.

Think we'll regret it personally.

To be honest, should be both Gyokeres and Sesko.

Sounds like Arteta is winning the war and is set to ruin the transfer window. The first real test to see if we could run a coordinated, professional outfit and we've fallen back to Wengerisation. Well, this will cost the club a decade of progress. Arteta will be long gone but the damage will be enduring.

I wish they would just sell Odegard from under his arse and force him to build a team that can seriously compete. But it won't happen. The leech owners are busy with plans to upgrade the stadium and rob more people. Arteta is fantasising about signings who can bump his possession numbers up by 0.043% and the new sporting director doesn't really have that much to do at all, except vainly try to explain to them all what's actually required to get shit done.

Same arseholes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

Fuck Romano.

I think Gyokeres would be better for the here and now.

Think we'll regret it personally.

To be honest, should be both Gyokeres and Sesko.

---

Was about to write the same, Arteta's going for an outside-the-box utility player rather than someone like Gyokeres who regularly scores strikers' goals (including in the CL btw not just Portugal)

Plus as you say Sesko's a 'project', not the finished article.

Apart from Timber Arteta's signings have been woeful - Havertz was bought for a position he can't play in and Arteta got lucky he could actually do an ok job upfront instead, same with Merino but with bells on, Cala and Zin are both fails, again particularly in the position he wanted them to play in.

I fear Sesko will be the same, we need a straight up poacher but he'll put Sesko at LW or something and still not have someone where they need to be to score the goals we need

Lot of complaining about this on Twitter as well

One of the few occasions where I’m aligned with Arteta on this, not just because I don’t particularly want us to sign Gyokeres but I actually like what I’ve seen of Sesko as a player.

Also Gyokeres isn’t a goal poacher anyway, in fact Sesko fulfills more of the attributes of the typical no9.

I absolutely would like us to sign more than one striker and treat Jesus as a write off, but even then I think I’d more go for someone who can play along the front three like Mbeumo or Adeyemi.

One of the things I admire about Liverpool is the interchangeable front three model (well not so much now but what they had with Salah, Mane and Firminho) and being able to adopt something like that would be good in my view

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

Fuck Romano.

I think Gyokeres would be better for the here and now.

Think we'll regret it personally.

To be honest, should be both Gyokeres and Sesko.

---

Exactly, and now watch Gyokores go to chavs or something and bang in 30 goals this season.

Like I said earlier, when the easiest and most obvious choice is staring us in the face, we will do the opposite, fail and then make excuses.

There was no point bringing Berta in if transfers are going to be overidden for more of Arteta's vanity project players.

Also, there is no evidence to suggest that Sesko is going to become a prolific scorer.
I've got numpties on Reddit saying he has a 'higher ceiling' - why, where is the evidence? He has averaged around 15 goals per season in his career so why does everyone think he's gonna come and score more suddenly?
If it works and he's the next Henry, then yeh he has and it's great.
But if it doesn't and he can only manged 15 goals a season (which is average and not what we need) then we will have wasted money.

If he is more of the same then we will be in the same boat next season.

More of what hasn't worked should not be the basis for our summer transfer plans.

Newcastle signed Isak off the back of a 10 goal season in Spain. I’m pretty sure had we splashed out back then we would have been scratching our heads and crying about that.

I just think rarely are there guarantees with strikers and their likelihood of becoming prolific. It’s just about taking a chance on someone who could be a good fit and hoping they level up. I’m not fussed really about Sesko or Gyokeres, we’ve put off signing a striker for so long that I don’t care at this point, I see upsides to both so just get it done.

Let's just hope the return of Havertz doesn't encourage them to avoid spending at all! I've sat through many Arsenal transfer windows thinking, no WAY would they try to pull that again!

But yeah, it's simple. Arteta will be made up if he can get 2 x Havertz and play his backs-to-goal system with interchangeable Havertz/ Sesko as part of a complex, rotating triangle/ sometimes diamond/ sometimes rectangle with a little bit stuck on the side (or BOLLOCKS system, in layman's terms). Joke is, he's willing to spend more than we'd have to to get a proper striker - so we'll lose out on another signing too.

Arteta's an arrogant fuck. He's just seen his patter-ball get us nowhere near a title and leave us unable to stick the ball in the net against a lame PSG. So try, try again. Meanwhile teams like Vill and Newcastle and even Liverpool have rediscovered an ancient football secret, drawn from times before Peps walked the earth. If you kick the ball towards the opposition goal and run a bit faster - you have more chance of scoring!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Newcastle signed Isak off the back of a 10 goal season in Spain. I’m pretty sure had we splashed out back then we would have been scratching our heads and crying about that.

I just think rarely are there guarantees with strikers and their likelihood of becoming prolific. It’s just about taking a chance on someone who could be a good fit and hoping they level up. I’m not fussed really about Sesko or Gyokeres, we’ve put off signing a striker for so long that I don’t care at this point, I see upsides to both so just get it done.

---

The difference is Newcastle didn't expect to be winning the league the next season. Their target was top 4 so they recruited accordingly.

We are now in a position where Arteta has next season to win a major trophy or he will lose 50% of the fanbase.
I am in that camp. He needs to stop making excuses and start winning.

We don't have time for more project players.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

Let's just hope the return of Havertz doesn't encourage them to avoid spending at all! I've sat through many Arsenal transfer windows thinking, no WAY would they try to pull that again!

But yeah, it's simple. Arteta will be made up if he can get 2 x Havertz and play his backs-to-goal system with interchangeable Havertz/ Sesko as part of a complex, rotating triangle/ sometimes diamond/ sometimes rectangle with a little bit stuck on the side (or BOLLOCKS system, in layman's terms). Joke is, he's willing to spend more than we'd have to to get a proper striker - so we'll lose out on another signing too.

Arteta's an arrogant fuck. He's just seen his patter-ball get us nowhere near a title and leave us unable to stick the ball in the net against a lame PSG. So try, try again. Meanwhile teams like Vill and Newcastle and even Liverpool have rediscovered an ancient football secret, drawn from times before Peps walked the earth. If you kick the ball towards the opposition goal and run a bit faster - you have more chance of scoring!

---

That's my concern. He wants Sesko so that he can rotate him with Havertz so he can have another like for like sub.
So it will be more of the same with no plan B when we need to change things up and get a result.

That's one area that Arteta has so far failed in - making a difference to positively affect the outcome of a game.

Fucking infuriating tbh.

That's the other thing I keep reading from idiots on Reddit - "Gyokores operates in loads of space, he won't be able to do that agianst teams in the prem when they are plaing low block"

Well, maybe if we try running forward with the ball and attacking instead of slow sieways passing, we would create more space to play in!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

Also, there is no evidence to suggest that Sesko is going to become a prolific scorer.
I've got numpties on Reddit saying he has a 'higher ceiling' - why, where is the evidence? He has averaged around 15 goals per season in his career so why does everyone think he's gonna come and score more suddenly?
If it works and he's the next Henry, then yeh he has and it's great.
But if it doesn't and he can only manged 15 goals a season (which is average and not what we need) then we will have wasted money.

If he is more of the same then we will be in the same boat next season.

More of what hasn't worked should not be the basis for our summer transfer plans.

---

But that principle applies both ways, why assume that Gyokeres is going to be able to get goals in a far superior league.

Gyokeres is good at direct play and on the counter. But Sesko works better in tight spaces, deals well with pressing etc

We aren’t going to change our approach (whether one thinks we should or not is a different discussion) and so Sesko suits the way we want to play better

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

But that principle applies both ways, why assume that Gyokeres is going to be able to get goals in a far superior league.

Gyokeres is good at direct play and on the counter. But Sesko works better in tight spaces, deals well with pressing etc

We aren’t going to change our approach (whether one thinks we should or not is a different discussion) and so Sesko suits the way we want to play better

---

Because Gyokores has a track record of scoring lots of goals, Sesko does not.

I don't want us to play the way we do if it's based of this season - it was fucking terrible. Some of the worst football I've seen in years.

In other news United may have bagged 100m from Saudi for Bruno.

Can they take any of our dead players please?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

Because Gyokores has a track record of scoring lots of goals, Sesko does not.

I don't want us to play the way we do if it's based of this season - it was fucking terrible. Some of the worst football I've seen in years.

---

Again if you’ve got a track record of scoring against teams that would struggle in the championship in England, that’s simply not a guarantee of anything

I don’t think we are suddenly going to become a more direct team or it working even if we tried it. What we need to stop doing is playing two defensive midfielders in most games and sign a creative midfielder as well as a striker

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

In other news United may have bagged 100m from Saudi for Bruno.

Can they take any of our dead players please?

---

So United respond to their playing footsie under the table with relegation by selling their best player?

Top strategy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Again if you’ve got a track record of scoring against teams that would struggle in the championship in England, that’s simply not a guarantee of anything

I don’t think we are suddenly going to become a more direct team or it working even if we tried it. What we need to stop doing is playing two defensive midfielders in most games and sign a creative midfielder as well as a striker

---

But you are assuming these are teams that would struggle against championship level teams. There is no basis in fact for that, its just guessing.

What is a fact is that Gyokores score a lot of goals, Sekso historically, does not.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

So United respond to their playing footsie under the table with relegation by selling their best player?

Top strategy

---

They really are in a complete mess tbh.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

But that principle applies both ways, why assume that Gyokeres is going to be able to get goals in a far superior league.

Gyokeres is good at direct play and on the counter. But Sesko works better in tight spaces, deals well with pressing etc

We aren’t going to change our approach (whether one thinks we should or not is a different discussion) and so Sesko suits the way we want to play better

---

I think you are unwittingly making a compelling case for Gyokeres and explaining why Sesko should be nowhere near Arteta. Exactly, Arteta wants the latter so he can persist with his bollocks-ball. If at first, second, third, fourth and fourteenth you don't succeed - keep on doing it! All the evidence of why we need to break out from the rigid, predictable, unwatchable blight he calls football is laid out in a season where City, Utd, Chavs never showed up! And a Liverpool with players like Nunez on the books coasted to a title. So maybe Liverpool did win the easiest title in living memory - but we also picked up the easiest second spot! In a typically competitive league we would have been eaten alive. Or Arteta would have been forced to change. If he gets his way in this transfer window we are super fucked - another season down the drain and then start again in 2027 - around and around. Nearly there, almost there, soon be there, on track, progressing. How many times will the fans have to listen to it? We've done the Wenger thing. Here we go again!